Study reveals high levels of previously unsuspected pollutants in homes, the environment

Scientists at Indiana University have found high concentrations of a previously unsuspected pollutant in homes, at a recycling facility for electronic waste and in the natural environment. People may be exposed to this pollutant by breathing in contaminated dust or in contact with the skin.

The chemical, tri (2,4-di-t-butylphenyl) phosphate or TDTBPP, is part of a family of organophosphates that are known to be toxic. However, little information is available on the toxicity of TDTBPP or on how it enters our environment. The chemical can be used as flame retardant or as a plasticizer in consumer products. It can also be formed as other chemicals degrade. It may even be an impurity in a structurally related compound.

"We found surprisingly high TDTBPP rates everywhere we looked," said Marta Venier, a scientist at the IU School of Public Affairs and the Environment and first author of the study. "The fact that this potentially toxic chemical is so abundant, but was so far unknown, is another example of the inefficient management of chemicals in the United States."

Many common commercial chemicals, including TDTBPP, are not subject to regulatory control under the US Toxic Substances Control Act unless they are used for new purposes, and most of the information relating to their commercial use are private. Therefore, it is difficult for environmental chemists to know how these pollutants enter the environment and what kinds of effects they could cause once they happen. Many chemicals are not detected until scientists conduct a general environmental scan, similar to this study by IU scientists.

The researchers studied dust samples from an electronic waste dismantling facility in Ontario, Canada. Chemicals similar to TDTBPP are often used in the production of plastics, wire, printed circuit boards and electronic equipment, making electronic waste recycling facilities an important place to search for undetected pollutants.

The researchers also studied dust from 20 homes in Ontario and badyzed outdoor samples from southwestern Lake Michigan to measure the quantities of TDTBPP in ambient air, water and sediments. They found that TDTBPP levels were particularly high in house dust.

"Our research is the first step," said Venier. "Now that we know that TDTBPP is widespread, especially in homes, scientists can report it for further study and focus on understanding the effects of TDTBPP on people."

The study, "Tri-Phosphate (2,4-di-t-butylphenyl): an ubiquitous, abundant and previously unrecognized pollutant, in the built and natural environment", will be published on October 30 in Science and technology of the environment. The authors were Venier, William Stubbings, Jiehong Guo, Kevin Romanak and Ronald A. Hites of Indiana University; Liisa Jantunen from Environment and Climate Change Canada; Lisa Melymuk from Masaryk University in the Czech Republic; and Linh V. Nguyen, Victoria Arrandale and Miriam L. Diamond of the University of Toronto.

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More information:
Marta Venier et al., Tri-Phosphate (2,4-di-t-butylphenyl): a ubiquitous pollutant, previously unrecognized, in the built and natural environment, Science and technology of the environment (2018). DOI: 10.1021 / acs.est.8b02939